Black Coffee: ‘Generic Headline’ (Due to Government Shut Down)

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.

Don’t let my headline fool you. Unlike the US federal government, there is no shut down here at Len Penzo dot Com.

Anyway, the latest batch of current events has given me a lot to cover today, so let’s get right to it …

The Way-Back Machine: Past Posts Of Mine You May Have Missed

From May 2009:

Save Big Money by Using Grocery Auctions – In these times of economic uncertainty, most people are looking to cut costs wherever possible — some are even visiting local auction houses for great deals on groceries. Yes, groceries.

Credit:Despite a panoply of scare tactics that the Big Government pols were pushing, the earth didn’t stop spinning on its axis after the federal government was forced to shut down this week. In fact, for 99.999% of Americans, life goes on — just as it always has.

Debit: Well … that is, unless you were planning to visit the Grand Canyon, or open-air monuments around the capital. For example, the privately-funded WWII Memorial has been inexplicably surrounded by reinforced barricades erected by the National Park Service to keep people from visiting it.

Debit:The National Park Service doesn’t usually work at the World War II Memorial — nor should they. Besides, if the feds feel they can’t keep a simple park memorial open without federal employees on-site 24/7, then government waste is even worse than I thought.

Debit:On a related note, did you see this? The US Federal Bureau of Land Management spent $98,670 on an outhouse. I know. That kind of gives new meaning to the term “government waste,” doesn’t it?

Credit: I guess there are some benefits to the shut down. Ninety-one percent of the Internal Revenue Service is now on furlough.

Debit: Maybe I shouldn’t joke about that. Especially since the IRS is apparently now being used as a political weapon. Renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson is the latest in a long line of critics to reveal he was audited after publicly railing against Big Government policies.

Debit: Most people fail to realize there’s an inverse relationship between personal freedom and Big Government. In fact, like it or not, our liberty is diminished in direct proportion to government growth. Sadly, more and more Americans are willing to sacrifice their freedom for that false sense of security.

Debit: More false security: Police departments all across America — including here, here, and here — have been buying up surplus armored personnel carriers from the military. Even the campus police at Ohio State University bought one. I guess college kids are a lot rowdier than they used to be.

Debit: But seriously, folks, can anybody give me a good reason why civilian police departments in the US need tactical military vehicles? Very strange.

Debit: In other news, despite three years of planning and development, Obamacare exchanges everywhere rolled out with countless glitches. That’s hard to believe. Especially since California’s snake-bitten exchange cost a gob-smacking $313 million to develop.

Credit: Many commercial company websites successfully handle large traffic volumes, so why all the problems? Heck, for $313 million California could’ve arguably built — and launched — a telecom satellite. Yes, a real one. That actually worked.

Credit: Even so, many folks continue to believe that Obamacare will miraculously — despite mountains of endless red tape and government “oversight” — somehow, some way, make healthcare less expensive for almost everyone. Eventually. Right.

Debit: Frustrated individuals trying to sign up this week were told to call the Obamacare hotline, 1-800-318-2596. Curiously, after accounting for the lack of a letter assigned to the numeral 1, that phone number spells out 1-800-F UCKYO. Maybe that’s just an unfortunate coincidence. Or not.

Debit: Despite all of the glitches, some people eventually got through — and then suffered sticker shock. One young healthy student was forced to buy Obamacare insurance at $175 per month, even though, before the law took effect, he could have received minimum coverage for just $44 per month from eHealthInsurance.

Debit: Oh, and by the way, those monthly Obamacare premiums don’t take into account the average annual deductible, which can be as high as $6,350 per individual. The New York Daily News found Obamacare deductibles to be more than twice the average deductibles for employer-sponsored coverage — at least for those who still have it.

Credit: Of course, if enough young people wisely do a cost-benefit analysis and choose to opt out, Obamacare premiums will skyrocket to unimaginable heights. In fact, it’s why experts predict a premium “death spiral” will eventually collapse the system.

Debit: Perhaps that helps explain why the government is now offering some individuals, as a sign-up incentive, an Obamacare smart phone that includes unlimited minutes, unlimited texting, and 1.2 gigabytes of data — plus tech support. So the Big Government “gravy train” rolls on. For now.

Debit: Speaking of smart phones … For his part, the President tried to liken all of Obamacare’s flaws and glitches to the roll out of the Apple iPhone. “I don’t remember anybody suggesting Apple should stop selling iPhones if they (didn’t work),” he said. No, he really did.

Credit: What the President fails to understand is that, unlike his signature health insurance, no American is forced to buy an iPhone. At least not yet.

By the Numbers

Here’s an estimate of the percentage of civilian federal workers for several government agencies deemed to be “non-essential” and subject to furlough:

More than 200 people chimed in this week, and a substantial majority agrees with me — the few benefits that a corner lot provide generally aren’t worth the hassles a homeowner must endure in exchange for those perks.

Other Useless News

Programming note: Unlike most blogs, I’m always open for the weekend here at Len Penzo dot Com. There’s a fresh new article waiting for you every Saturday afternoon. At least there should be. If not, somebody call 9-1-1.

Hey! If you happen to enjoy what you’re reading — or not — please don’t forget to:

Thank you to everyone who refers their readers to this little ol’ blog! It’s much appreciated.

Letters, I Get Letters

Every week I feature the most interesting question or comment — assuming I get one, that is. And folks who are lucky enough to have the only question in the mailbag get their letter highlighted here whether it’s interesting or not! You can reach out to me at: Len@LenPenzo.com

After reading about the paper towel experiment I conducted to figure out which brand was superior, “The Woe” sent me this follow-up question regarding his coffee maker:

I really appreciate the mention in today’s post. I just discovered your site and it looks like an amazing resource. Your story is rare, so many of us are slaves to debt before we realize the wisdom of living debt free and on less than we earn.

I’m in my 30’s and so many of my colleagues don’t see what you just mentioned. I don’t know what it will take before people get it. It’s so frustrating. In order to save my sanity, I just go on doing what I normally do; keep debt down, save money, read your blog etc…I really pity those who think big govt is the answer–by then, it might be too late to dig themselves out of their hole.

All you can do is spread the word about the dangers of Big Government whenever you have the opportunity! For parents, the best place to start is with your own children. I try to teach mine about the Constitution, the virtues of limited government, and the importance of self-reliance, and individual liberty at the dinner table on a regular basis. It’s so important because most public schools are teaching our kids the exact opposite.

Len,
You wrote two excellent articles on the coming economic collapse and you can’t figure out why police departments all over the country are buying armoured vehicles?
The coming collapse will bring desperate people who will erupt in mass violence.
The coming crash will bring a desperate gov’t trying to control it’s citizens. Thousands of IMRAP’s will help.

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